What Not to Include in a Resume: 3 Things

Every line on your resume is valuable real estate. The person looking at yours is trying to get to the relevant info as quickly as possible. Part of your job is to make that easy for them, which includes leaving some things out. Here are a few quick tips on what not to include in your resume.

Social Media Info

Unless your job will be in social media or it’s specifically requested, you don’t need to show it on your resume. Though unlikely to happen, why invite people to stalk your social media? I’ve had a few people ask me about including their LinkedIn, which is fine since it’s a professional site and your profile there should tell a consistent story while enhancing your background. There’s a good chance we’ll check you out there anyway, so go for it. But if you feel pressed for space, leave it out. No biggie.

References Available Upon Request

Of course references are available upon request! Why use valuable real estate on the obvious? This resume add needs to die a quick and painless death.

Random Clubs and Groups

I’m sure there are recruiters or hiring managers that would disagree (albeit a very small percentage), but I’ve never seen someone land an interview or job by being a part of the Zumba club or Wildlife Society. However, remember the key word is random. If you think it’s applicable to the job at hand or demonstrates your interest in something the company cares about, include it. A good example would be if you were applying for a nonprofit gig that dealt with wildlife issues and you didn’t have previous nonprofit experience. At least it shows you believe in the cause.

These are three of the most common things I see. There’s other stuff like pictures (no), birthdays (NO!), and social security numbers (STOP IT!), but they aren’t frequent. And I hope they never are. Let us pray.

Rich

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